Artist Statement

​

In 1994, a mass murder occurred in Rwanda, growing out of a tribal conflict. This tragic history is known as the Rwandan Genocide. During the four brutal months from April to July, 800,000  Tutsi minority and moderate Hutu died and around 2 million refugees fled the country.

​

Blood and Milk is a series of video portraits of the victims and perpetrators of the Rwandan Genocide. Like many of my documentary films, Blood and Milk focuses on the stories of the marginalized but is presented in an unconventional form. Portraits are a popular genre, yet there are few video portraits, if any, other than experimental films. This project blurs the boundaries between art forms and reconfigures the purpose of the documentary: from informing to experiencing, from observing to meeting, and from conversing to contemplating. I started capturing portraits of seven individuals while I was visiting Rwanda in October 2018 and interviewed and filmed another thirty-four individuals in June 2019. These portraits will be displayed at the Rwanda Reconciliation Center coordinated by CARSA- Christian Action for Reconciliation and Social Assistance.

​​